Explosive devices



W2. MVIMUNITIONl AND EXPLQSIVE DEVICES H. B. STRANG.

PROJECTILE.

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APPLICATIO 9,. 1,312,762. Patenamlg. 12,1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY ELAND sTEANG, or' LoNDoN, ENGLAND, AssIeNoE To Trios. FIETH AND soNs LIMITED, or SHEEFIELD, ENGLAND.

PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Application filed April 16, 1919. Serial No. 290,462.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY BLAND STRANG, a subject of the King of England, and resident of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Proj ectiles, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to projectiles of the capped armor piercing type having a nose which is formed separate from the main body of the projectile and has for its object to facilitate the construction thereof so as to insure that the parts of the projectile shall have the several characteristics necessary for the functions that these parts are to perform respectively, the improved projectile being more especially designed for attacking and piercing armor plate obliquely. i

The employment of a cap on the pointed nose of an armor piercing projectile was introduced at a relatively recent date and the type of cap best suited for the purpose and the formation of the projectile itself so as to cooperate with the cap to the best advantage has been the subjectof considerable experiment. `Prior to the date when such projectiles in combination with caps came into use it had been suggested to construct a shell with the hollow body which contains the explosive charge formed separate from the head, the object being to Prevent damage to the body in the event of the head becoming cracked on impact. Considerable development-s have occurred since that time both in the construction of projectiles and in the armor plate which these projectiles have to attack and present day requirements call for the use of a projectile with the head having such physical characteristics as will enable it to penetrate and carry the body of the projectile through the relatively soft back portion of the armor plate while the cap must comprise such a mass of metal having parts of it possessing such physical characteristics as will enable it to break up the hard surface of the armor plate on im pact. Yet further, it is important that in forming the head of the projectile so as to adapt it for the function which it is to perform there shall be no possibility of cracks or flaws developing in the hollow body such as would give rise to the risk of premature explosion of the charge contained in this body. By means of die present improvements the several parts of the projectile as a whole, that is to say the body, the head and the cap, can each be formed in the manner and with the properties necessary for the functions which these parts respectively have to perform so that these parts in combination make up a projectile adapted to attack successfully armor plate of the modern type.

According to this invention the body of the projectile which is hollow and contains the explosive charge is formed throughout of steel having homogeneous physical characteristics and it is provided with a solid projecting fore part which is stepped or similarly constructed with a series of forwardly directed resistance surfaces of pronounced dimensions. A hardened and tempered steel head which is formed separately from the body has its rear part hollowed and shaped so that it will fit on to and engage the projecting fore part` of the body and a cap which is hardened as to a part or parts of it is mounted on the fore end of the head. The face of the cap is preferably covered by a hollow nose of the usual type. Thecap is formed with a hardened protruding nose or ring or otherwise formed in accordance with the specifications of either of the United States of America Letters Patent Nos. 1,149,602, or 1,153,460 and its rear part which is hollow may be shaped to tit on to the projectile head which is provided with a substantially ogival external contour the cap being fixed in place in some convenient known manner. Alternatively there may be formed on the exterior of the head a series of annular ridges or grooves or a series of separate but annularly disposed projections or recesses all of relatively substantial dimenslons and formed and positioned along the length of the head so as to constitute forwardly directed resistance surfaces. The hollow rear part of the cap is then correspondingly shaped to lit on to and engage the head.

When a projectile thus constructed makes impact with `an armor plate the face of the latter is broken up by the hardened part or parts of the cap which, if it is not formed to engage with resistance surfaces on the head of the projectile in the manner indicated above, is then broken up or pushed aside as the head of the projectile penetrates the broken surface of the plate and the relatively soft back thereof. The head will then pass through the armor plate carrying with it the body containing the explosive charge. If the cap and head are constructed in accordance with the above mentioned alternative ythe resistance surfaces between the head and the cap result in the hardened part or parts of the cap being driven by the head of the projectile farther into the armor plate the cap thus possessing additional penetrative properties and acting` to some extent as an extension 0f the head. In this way the head is protected by the cap to a great extent and when the cap has performed its functions fully the head will remain intact and capable of completing the penetration of the armor plate. In either case owing to the head of the projectile being formed separately from the body the head as a whole can be hardened and tempered so as to adapt it for penetration and for carrying the body uninjured through the perforation in the armor plate made by the head. It also becomes possible to construct the body in such a manner that there is no tendency for cracks to develop therein such as are liable to arise where the head is integral with the body and has to be hardened and tempered in order to adapt it for penetrative purposes.

The strains to which an armor piercing projectile is subjected when it has been so constructed as to adapt it more particularly for the oblique perforation of armor plate dier materially from the strains to which a projectile of this type is subjected which has been designed especially for attacking armor plate normally to the surface of the latter. In the case of oblique attack the cross-breaking strain imposed by the sidewise thrust of the armor plate against the head of the projectile is greatly in excess of any cross-breaking strain suffered by a projectile when it strikes armor plate normally to the surface thereof, the strains in the latter case being due to rotation of the proj ectile or accidental inclination of its longer axis to the face of the plate as a result of gyration of the projectile. By constructing a projectile in accordance with the present invention the sidewise strain referred to instead of producing a dangerous fracture of the projectile by opening up a portion of the body or container will merely cause the attachment between the head and the body to spring somewhat without necessarily inl-lieting serious damage on the body.

In putting the invention into practice the details of construction may be modified in various ways but the accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example two constructions that may be adopted. In these drawings,

n Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the fore end of a capped armor piercing projectile constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of an alternative construction.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified construction of the projectile head.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

The body A of the projectile with respect to its main part is formed hollow and shaped in the usual way except as to its fore end. This portion is provided with a projection B which is constructed for example as a series of steps C or substantially cylindrical annular parts of pronounced dimensions and of successively decreasing diameter. That one of these steps which lies next to the main part of the body of the projectile is conveniently slightly undercut as at C. One or more of the other steps if desired may be similarly undercut the object being to provide a part or parts with which the separately formed head D can be pressed into engagement so as to fix the head in place on the body A. The head D is given an ogival external contour which forms a smooth continuation from the surface of the body A. The rear part of the head is hollowed out and internally shaped with steps or annular parts E so as to closely lit on to the steps C of the projecting end of the body. After the head D has been applied to the body the rear edge D of the head is pressed or otherwise caused to engage with the undercut step C formed on the body.

Alternatively as shown in Fig. 2 the projecting fore portion B of the body A is formed substantially conical and has a screw thread B of substantial dimensions cut therein. A shoulder A is lconveniently provided at the rear end of the screw threaded cone E where the latter springs from the main front part of the body A. The interior of the rear part of the head D is similarly hollowed and screw threaded as at D2 to engage and fit closely on to the body projection B.

The cap F which in either case is mounted on the fore end of the head may be constructed as previously mentioned in accordance with the specifications of either of the United States of America Letters Patent No. 1,149,602 or No. 1,153,460. Preferably this cap has a central protruding nose F on its front face this protrusion being specially hard while the rest of the cap is relatively soft. The central protrusion is surrounded by a flat or slightly coned surface F2. The exterior of the cap F is curved so as to constitute a substantially smooth continuation of the curve of the head D and a hollow nose Gr is screwed or otherwise mounted over the face of the cap. The contiguous parts of the cap F and head D, that is to say the exterior of the fore part of the latter and the hollow rear part of the cap, may both be formed smooth and the cap fixed in place by some lmown means.

Alternatively as shown in Fig. 3 there may be formed on the exterior of the head D two or more annular ridges D3 alternating with grooves and constituting a series of separate but annularly disposed projections or recesses which are formed and positioned along the length of the head so as to constitute forwardly directed resistance surfaces. The hollowed rear part of the cap F is shaped to 'fit on to and engage thehead thu-s shaped. The formation of these engaging parts of the head and cap may be constructed as described in the specication of the present inventors application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 237078 filed May 28th, 1918. The arrangement is such that on impact the resist-ance surfaces provided between the head of the projectile and the cap will prevent the latter from being so readily pushed over the head as would otherwise be the case and consequently aharder blow is deliveredon the plate by the hardened nose of the cap.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an armor piercing projectile the combination of a body formed throughout of steel having homogeneous physical characteristies and provided with a solid projecting fore part which is formed with a series of forwardly directed resistant surfaces of pronounced dimensions, a hardened and tempered steel head having its rear part hollowed and shaped so that it will fit on to and engage the projecting fore part of the body, a cap which is hardened and mounted on the fore end of the head, and a hollow nose covering the face of the cap as set forth.

2. In an armor piercing projectile the co1nbination of a body formed throughout of steel having homogeneous physical characteristics and provided with a solid projecting fore part which is substantially conical, a series of annular ridges and grooves formed on this fore part of the body and constituting a series of forwardly directed resistant surfaces of pronounced dimensions, a hardened and tempered steel head having its fore part hollowed and shaped so that it will fit on to and engage the projecting fore part of the body, a cap which is hardened and mounted on the fore end of the head, and a hollow nose covering the face of the cap as set forth.

3. In an armor piercing projectile the combination of a body formed throughout of steel having homogeneous physical characteristics and provided witha solid projecting fore part which is formed with a series of forwardly directed resistant surfaces of pronounced dimensions, a hardened and tem,- pered steel head having its rear part hollowed and shaped so that it will fit on to and engage the projecting fore part of the body while the exterior of the head is substantially conical and formed with a series of annular ridges and grooves constituting forwardly directed resistant surfaces which are positioned along the length of the head, a cap which is hardened and has its rear part hollowed and internally shaped to fit on to and engage the head, and a hollow nose covering the face of the cap as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY BLAND STRANG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '.D. C. 

